Athena Bryan

• Europe
• Magazine
• World

There’s something archetypal about the ignominious flight of a newly unseated despot — Louis XVI, the Tsar and the Shah all come to mind. It is tempting to add former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to this list and declare his flight a suc...

• Arts
• Culture
• Editor's Choice

I’d wager that a considerable number of the general population would describe most modern art as esoteric, derivative, annoying, purposeless or all of the above. Without trying to engage with any of those accusations, though, one can argue fairly e...

• Health
• Magazine
• United States

The electronic cigarette, or the e-cigarette, is an old product revolutionized by a sleek, modern platform. Instead of burning tobacco, a small, battery-powered device converts liquid nicotine into vapor. Although e-cigarettes’ safety has not been ...

• Culture
• Economy - Old
• Environment
• Gender
• Health
• United States

In 1890, the United States Census Bureau announced the end of the Western frontier. Yet the frontier spirit has surfaced intermittently in America’s cultural history well beyond this concrete date. Today, amid the United States’ hard economic fal...

• Health
• United States

Last spring, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, referred to as the DSM-V, was released. It generated a reasonable amount of clamor due to various controversial changes, including but not limited to adding ...

• Economy - Old
• Health
• United States

In early October, “60 Minutes” aired a segment on the United States’ disability program. In many ways it was a “hatchet job,” as “The Nation” put it. The 14-minute segment, which suggested widespread fraud on the Social Security...

• Law/Justice
• United States

Last spring, I opened an article I’d written on America’s prison system with what I thought was a particularly jolting lead about a Supreme Court decision. In 2011, the Supreme Court had upheld a ruling by a federal court that the conditions aris...

• Editor's Choice
• United States

Manning Selfie: The propaganda machines of any given election cycle cannot begin to compete with the nuance and depth of your typical Millenial’s social media footprint. The overwhelming majority of 18 to 29 year olds are not only connected, but h...